17STRONG honors German Village leader with prestigious award.

 THE CITY OF HAMILTON and the 17Strong Advisory Board named Andy Weltzer as the 2023 recipient of the Kathleen Klink Award for Neighborhood Leadership. The award was announced and presented during the 17Strong Celebration Breakfast on January 21 at the Hamilton High School—Freshman Campus.

This award is named in honor of Kathleen Klink, a long-time public servant who has been the quintessential neighborhoods council person. She was also a key lead on council that crafted the city's 2012 strategic plan. The award is given annually to a Hamilton resident who works relentlessly in pursuit of building safe, clean, and engaged neighborhoods.

Before the award presentation, Kyle Cummins, new chair of the 17Strong Advisory Board and Washington neighborhood resident, referenced sentiments and words from the community members who nominated Weltzer.

“Andy is a dedicated, very hardworking individual who has shown interest and devotion to the City of Hamilton through his work of beautifying many properties throughout the city. He has continually contributed to the growth and excellence of this city. When I see him, I see a relentless man. I have never seen a man work so physically hard at his own job, and then come home only to go back out with a trash bag, walk the entire neighborhood, and pick up other people's discarded trash.”

As full-time business owner of Lifestyle Landscape Solutions LLC, Weltzer certainly keeps a busy schedule. But it's evident that his nine-to-five does not prevent him from volunteering his time and resources to local organizations like Consortium for Ongoing Reinvestment Efforts (CORE) and Hamilton Parks Conservancy.

Kyle went on to exclaim that Weltzer has been a sponsor of Love Your Block since it began, an initiative that has greatly benefitted from the time and resources provided by volunteers like him. But the neighborhood that has been impacted most by his dedication is German Village, where he resides.

“As the current German Village Association president, he is an effective communicator and brings great integrity to the position, inspiring residents toward a common purpose of pride and unity. He facilitates open communication between community members and local police officers, lending an assured sense of safety to our neighborhood watch program. He has been known to say 'Hamilton is not where I grew up, but it is most definitely my home.'”

Weltzer also represents the German Village Historic District through his service to the Architectural Design Review Board (ADRB). As a board member, he helps the ADRB to review plans for work on historic structures and properties, monitor the work, and administer the Architectural Conservation/Historic District section of the Hamilton City Zoning Ordinance. Weltzer’s walk to the podium to accept his award was accompanied by enthusiastic applause, but when he reached the microphone, he made it clear that the honor did not only belong to him.

"[This is] an award that, quite frankly, everyone in this room deserves a piece of. Everyone here deserves this more than I deserve this,” Weltzer stated.

"It's a great city, and I'm choked up right now because this is not what I do this for. And everybody who works with me knows that.”

He continued, “As I watch this organization get bigger and get more people involved, I'm proud to be a part of that.”

Weltzer ended his acceptance speech by proposing a goal not only for himself, but for other members in the Hamilton community.

“I will say one thing that I'm going to work on for this year, it being a recurring theme in my talks in German Village, is challenge. Challenge your neighbors, challenge your friends, to do just a little bit more in your neighborhoods. Whether that's waving to someone from your porch, saying 'Hi,’ picking up a random piece of trash. Showing up at somebody's doorstep, being involved in the activities in town. Challenge everybody to do just a little more. Get a little bit more involved and get people in your neighborhood more involved. Thank you so much."